NEW CANAAN BRANCH

Metro North Railroad's 'New Canaan Branch' is a short branch of their New Haven Line from a junction east of downtown Stamford, Connecticut north to New Canaan (that station pictured at right). It opened in 1868 as the 'New Canaan Railroad'.

Contents

Station stops

History

See also

Gallery

References

Notes

Station stops

:Continues southwest to Grand Central Terminal on the New Haven Line

★ Stamford (also Amtrak ''Acela Express'', ''Regional'' and ''Vermonter'')
:splits from New Haven Line

★ Stamford East Side (as of July 2007, under consideration for this line or just past it on the New Haven line)[1]Hughes, C.J., "LIVING IN/Glenbrook, Conn. / The Little Town in the City", feature article in the Real Estate section of ''The New York Times'', page 9, Real Estate section, July 8, 2007

★ Glenbrook in Stamford (originally on the New Haven line; moved to the New Canaan line in the 1950s)

★ Springdale in Stamford

★ Talmadge Hill in New Canaan

★ New Canaan, the terminus

History

The 'New Canaan Railroad' was chartered May 1866 as a short branch of the New York and New Haven Railroad. It opened July 4, 1868. On January 1, 1879 the company went bankrupt, and it was reorganized in 1883 as the 'Stamford and New Canaan Railroad'. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the line on October 1, 1884, and on October 1, 1890 it was merged into the NYNH&H.
The NYNH&H was merged into Penn Central in 1969. On January 1, 1971, the State of Connecticut leased the New Canaan Branch from Penn Central. [2]
Like the New Haven mainline, the entire branch is electrified. All service is provided by MNRR's Cosmopolitan EMU cars, usually a single 2- or 3-car set. Most trains operate as a shuttle between Stamford and New Canaan; a few peak trains run through to Grand Central Terminal on weekday mornings and return in the evening.
The film ''The Ice Storm'' features the New Canaan branch extensively, with M-2 cars (although dressed in Penn Central markings for the 1973 setting).

See also

★ Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is the official state advocate for train commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.

★ The New Canaan Branch Line Details of the railroad that has been integral to the development of Fairfield County, Connecticut, with interactive maps, photographs, and information about the rail line's history.

Gallery

References

★ Railroad History Database

★ Philip C. Blakeslee, A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. (1953)

Notes